[yasr_overall_rating]
When a quirky somewhat anti-social alien race takes over earth and relocates its human inhabitants, one human girl is left behind. In an attempt to find her mother, she comes across and soon befriends an out-casted fugitive alien who doesn’t fit in socially with others.
That is the premise of Dreamworks’ newest animation “Home.” As I sit in the theater, waiting to see this film based on the 2007 children’s book “The True Meaning of Smekday”, I couldn’t help but notice the cacophony of little voices. Giggles and excitement mixed with children running up the aisles with popcorn almost bigger than they were. This is the next generation of movie goers. It makes me wonder if they’ll continue the communal movie experience legacy or opt out for watching their future films on mobile devices or at home. With theater prices at an all-time high, and movies going bust each year, it feels like It’s only a matter of time before catching a film at the cinema is a thing of the past. But there is something to be said about seeing a film with a group. The shared laughs, the shared excitement, the shared “awwee”s … all enhance the film experience.
This was just the type of film for that communal movie experience. I put on my 3D glasses and sat back to enjoy. “Home” starts off with an introduction to a squarish, colorful alien race called Boov. This race is led by Captain Smek voiced by Steve Martin. Captain Smek is a hero to this race that helped them hide from their long time enemy in various planets across the galaxy. And today is moving day for the Boov. Time to move to a new home, a blueish planet called Earth. And for Oh (voiced by Jim Parsons), this is the “best day ever”. Oh is an overly social Boov who earned his name from the responses people give when he’s nearby. As in, “Oh … it’s him.” Oh is excited to move and hide on this new planet. It’s a new chance for him to make friends, and be social.
When the Boov take over a planet, they move the inhabitants (in this case the humans) to somewhere else, and they take over all their homes and belongings. This makes for some funny moments because Boovs don’t always know how to use the human objects left behind. Plungers, toilets, cars, bikes, etc. don’t really have a purpose for this technology superior but emotionally inferior race.
Boov tries to throw a party and meet all his new Boov Neighbors in their new inhabitant but all seem to avoid him. So, he tries to send a party request email to Boovs letting them know where the party is at. He accidently hits “Send All” and an email is sent to the feared enemy that the whole species was trying to hide from in the first place.
This well-armored, massive enemy is a planet-destroying, scary looking race. They are focused on finding the Boov after Captain Smek stole something valuable from them. This accidental email makes Oh a fugitive of the law and makes him have to go into hiding.
While on the run, he comes across a clever, street smart girl who was left behind when the other humans were relocated. The girl, Gratuity ‘Tip’ Tucci, is voiced by Rihanna. She wants to find her mother and Oh needs to evade the law. They end up needing each other to make both needs happen.
“Home” is overall sweet, clever and funny. It’s not going to be one of the all-time classic animations, but it is a fun, silly movie for the whole family. When rating an animated film there are some things to look for. I’ve attached my report card of sorts to show you what I was looking at.
At first I didn’t like Parsons as the voice of the Alien “Oh”. His Big Bang character was too prominent in my head, but with the alien-specific, Yoda-like dialogue sentence structure that “Oh” speaks, it was easy to get lost in the character. The theater roared with laughter though-out the whole movie. There was some nice jokes and pay offs. “Home” has real heart. Especially with a loveable but awkward “Oh” trying to learn his place in the world and learning the importance of Family from Tip. Kids will enjoy the quirky dialogue, and name of things. Phrases like Pig Cat, Sad Mad, and Number 3, will have more meaning after. Dreamworks website promoting the film is a fun interactive place to find out more about the world of the Boov.
This movie fun for the whole family. Go check it out with other humans and maybe like “Oh” it will be your “Best Day Ever!”
